As known, it is now common in bicycles to use hydraulic braking apparatuses, particularly for controlling disc brakes. Disc brakes are often preferred to conventional pad brakes because they can ensure a high braking power and are less subject to problems caused by mud or water.
Typically, a disc brake comprises a caliper fixed on the frame of the bicycle or on the fork and a brake disc mounted on the hub of the wheel; hereinafter, reference will be made in particular to a rear brake and therefore to a caliper fixed on the frame, but what is disclosed must also be deemed to refer to a front brake and therefore to a caliper fixed on the fork. Inside the caliper there are two opposite jaws, provided with two respective friction packings (also simply called pads). The brake disc rotates inside the space defined between the two jaws. By actuating the brake lever, the jaws are brought towards the brake disc, generating friction between the brake disc and the pads and, consequently, braking the wheel.
In the present description, the expression “hydraulic braking apparatus” will be used to indicate a apparatus comprising a control member (including a brake lever), a braking member (including a brake caliper) and a flexible tube for adducing braking liquid between said control member and said braking member.
In particular, the braking member comprises a hydraulic chamber included in the aforementioned caliper and the control member comprises a hydraulic chamber actuated by the aforementioned brake lever.
The two hydraulic chambers are in liquid communication with each other through the flexible tube, so that by actuating the brake lever action is applied on the liquid contained in the hydraulic chamber of the control member and consequently also on the liquid contained in the hydraulic chamber of the braking member, so that the jaws are brought towards the brake disc.
The flexible tube can be arranged inside an internal cavity, provided in a bearing element of the bicycle, which can be the frame of the bicycle (for the rear brake) or the front fork (for the front brake). The internal cavity is for this purpose provided with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening for the flexible tube.
In the mounting of the hydraulic braking apparatus on the bearing element (frame or fork) of the bicycle it is thus necessary to make the flexible tube pass through the internal cavity between the inlet opening and the outlet opening.
In the prior art, generally the following occurs.
The control member is fixed to the handlebars of the bicycle and the braking member is fixed to the bearing element of the bicycle. The flexible tube is released both from the control member and from the braking member; a first free end thereof is intended to be connected to the control member, whereas a second free end thereof is intended to be connected to the braking member.
One of the free ends of the flexible tube is inserted into the inlet opening of the internal cavity and the tube is pushed inside the internal cavity. The second free end of the flexible tube thus advances inside the internal cavity, arriving as far as at the outlet opening.
At this point, the operator who carries out the mounting takes care of extracting the second free end of the flexible tube from the outlet opening, possibly with the help of some suitable tools (a screwdriver, a pointed tool, a slipknot, etc.).
The free ends of the flexible tube are then connected to the control member and to the braking member. Alternatively, it is possible that one of the two ends of the flexible tube is connected to the control member or braking member already before the insertion of the flexible tube in the internal cavity.
When the flexible tube has been connected at both ends thereof with the respective members, the apparatus is loaded with the braking liquid, introduced for example starting from the hydraulic chamber of the control member.
The Applicant has observed that the mounting of the hydraulic braking apparatus can be difficult, particularly in the step in which the flexible tube must be extracted from the outlet opening, and depends essentially on the skill of the operator; often, it can take a few attempts before successfully arriving at the extraction and therefore a consequent use of time.
Furthermore, the Applicant has observed that the second free end of the flexible tube can be damaged following the insertion into the internal cavity and the attempts of extraction. Consequently, it may sometimes be necessary to restore the second free end before connecting it to the braking member, for example by cutting—if possible—an end part of the flexible tube.
The technical problem at the basis of the present invention is therefore that of reducing the mounting time of a hydraulic braking apparatus on a bicycle, also making them relatively repeatable for each mounting, even if carried out by different operators or ones with little experience.